Finally—one iTunes Store to rule them all (in Europe)

European music buyers may finally have the freedom to purchase songs from a universal pan-European iTunes Store. The European Copyright Commission has proposed new licensing rules that would allow music retailers like iTunes and Amazon to offer a unified music store throughout the EU and force licensing bodies to up their game.

Our European readers cringe at the thought of the current digital music landscape. Unlike the US, online music in Europe is typically only sold through one country's stores at a time—this is despite the EU's efforts to effectively eliminate the borders of its 27-country membership when it comes to products and services. As such, if you're in Spain and want to buy a song from France's iTunes Store, you can't—the store blocks you from making the purchase because you aren't in France. This has led to companies like Apple rolling out individual music stores for each European country with a large enough market, but the fragmentation has caused nothing but headaches for end users who just want to listen to their favorite music.

The reason for this is the licensing limitations—licenses are typically handed out on a per-country basis, leading to complicated and confusing limits on who can buy what music from which online store. And as highlighted by the Commission's proposal, there have been numerous cases in which the royalties collected on songs ended up being lost or never paid out to artists and songwriters due to this cross-country licensing complication, further showing the need for unified music stores across the EU.

"[S]ome collecting societies struggle to adapt to the requirements of the management of rights for online use of musical works, in particular in a cross-border context," the Commission wrote on its website. "As a result of today’s proposal, those collecting societies willing to engage in the multi-territorial licensing of their repertoire would therefore have to comply with European standards."

The proposed rules would force royalties agencies to be more transparent about their collections when reporting back to various rights holders, and they would have to make payouts faster. The agencies would also have to demonstrate a technical capacity to be able to license music across EU borders in the first place—if they can't, they'll have to hand over their business to someone else who can. The end goal, says the Commission, is to facilitate multiterritorial licensing of online music across the EU, which would finally bring the pan-European iTunes, Amazon, and even Spotify services that users have long dreamed of.

The new rules still await final approval from EU lawmakers, but they have been in the works for years. The Commission first announced its plan to "encourage" content owners to start licensing on a multi-territory basis in 2008. In 2009, major members of the online music industry—including Amazon, iTunes, EMI, Nokia, PRS for Music, Universal, and others—signed a pact with the Commission to work towards wider music distribution in Europe.

In a press conference held to discuss the proposed rules, EU Internal Market Commissioner Michel Barnier pointed out that users currently have "less access to innovative services," which has only helped to nurture piracy among some of the Internet's most voracious media consumers. "It’s not surprising that young consumers look elsewhere than the legal" music stores Barnier said, according to Bloomberg.

Does this include TV shows on iTunes?English language shows (esp. from the US) used to be released in the UK storeway before they are available in Germany for example.So EU wide unification would have a much bigger impact this also applies to those.

"As such, if you're in Spain and want to buy a song from France's iTunes Store, you can't—the store blocks you from making the purchase because you aren't in France."

This is actually not accurate, as access to a national iTunes Store isn't dependent on your actual location. So if you have a French iTunes Store account, you can buy from it wherever you are. However, you can't open a French iTunes Store account if you don't have a residence in France (or at least a French credit card).

"As such, if you're in Spain and want to buy a song from France's iTunes Store, you can't—the store blocks you from making the purchase because you aren't in France."

This is actually not accurate, as access to a national iTunes Store isn't dependent on your actual location. So if you have a French iTunes Store account, you can buy from it wherever you are. However, you can't open a French iTunes Store account if you don't have a residence in France (or at least a French credit card).

So if you live in Spain (financially speaking), you can't buy from the French iTunes store. I think that's the spirit of the quote, albeit loosely formulated.

As such, if you're in Spain and want to buy a song from France's iTunes Store, you can't—the store blocks you from making the purchase because you aren't in France.

Missing from the article...why would someone in Spain want to make a purchase from France's iTunes store? I can't say, as a US resident, that I've ever been inclined to purchase something from Amazon.ca (assuming it's actually different).

As such, if you're in Spain and want to buy a song from France's iTunes Store, you can't—the store blocks you from making the purchase because you aren't in France.

Missing from the article...why would someone in Spain want to make a purchase from France's iTunes store? I can't say, as a US resident, that I've ever been inclined to purchase something from Amazon.ca (assuming it's actually different).

Different stores sell different things. You may get French bands in the French iTunes store, but not in the Spanish store. So if you live in Spain and like French bands, you may be SOL.

I never understood why content providers do this. This is no longer an age of "oh well, you'll have to wait for us to deliver it to your country, probably at 2x the price", it's "oh well, guess I'll get it for free off a torrent".

I hit up the online digital stores but because I'm not American, my money's not good enough? Take the fucking money and give me my content. This whole content system is pretty damn stupid. I want to give you my money. You don't want it? Fine, I get the media for free then off a torrent. Content is not a physical object you can hold.

Content providers: Just. Make it. Available. The only time a region restriction should take place is when it counters the law of the more restrictive regimes like China. Yeah I know, those restrictions probably shouldn't be there in the first place, but the iTunes store is not going to change the political mindset of the government.

Now please let's do the same for North America, and not just for iTunes. If the Canadian Netflix had the same content as the USA I would have no need for my $5 a month VPN to use the USA version.

This - the bullshit of things simply not being available on (say) Kindle in Canada while sitting happily on the US store is absurd. Is our money not good enough for them? Fine says I - TPB it is (and my views on piracy are well known).

Missing from the article...why would someone in Spain want to make a purchase from France's iTunes store? I can't say, as a US resident, that I've ever been inclined to purchase something from Amazon.ca (assuming it's actually different).

I do this all the time, being a German (with a German iTunes Store account) and currently living in Austria, just beyond the border.

Not to nitpick, but this isn't about Europe. It's about the EU. There are a large number of European countries that are not part of the EU and thus will not be covered.

This will probably end up covering the EEA as well. So you will get Norway, Switzerland, etc.

Not that this will make much different as well.

My slovak friends complain they can't use the playstation store. And here I can't use the nintendo eshop, so can't get any demos for my 3ds or use the nintendo club coupons that come with games. I hope this also gets fixed.

I can't also print apple albums (for iphoto and aperture). And I can't order from germany and get them delivered to one of my colleagues because I can't pay with my czech card.

So well... Hope something good comes from the eu bureaucracy this time.

As such, if you're in Spain and want to buy a song from France's iTunes Store, you can't—the store blocks you from making the purchase because you aren't in France.

Missing from the article...why would someone in Spain want to make a purchase from France's iTunes store? I can't say, as a US resident, that I've ever been inclined to purchase something from Amazon.ca (assuming it's actually different).

The biggest reason to buy from a different store is that they have different content. This applies to books and well as music and video. Publishers have specific editions written for Britain that are different from the US and maybe the Canadian editions. Some music distributors can only sell in certain countries so if a distributor in the second country does not exist then someone in the second country cannot buy it. Sometimes there are also price differences but I think this is a lessor factor.

Missing from the article...why would someone in Spain want to make a purchase from France's iTunes store? I can't say, as a US resident, that I've ever been inclined to purchase something from Amazon.ca (assuming it's actually different).

Well, if Spaniards would like to buy something else than Vanessa Paradis or Alizee from the Spanish iTunes, they are pretty much SOOL. For other French artists they would need the access to the French store.

Of course this example was grabbed out of my ass so I may be completely wrong here and the Spanish iTunes is chock-full of French music.

Missing from the article...why would someone in Spain want to make a purchase from France's iTunes store? I can't say, as a US resident, that I've ever been inclined to purchase something from Amazon.ca (assuming it's actually different).

Some stores offer things that aren't available in other ones. For example, a small French band on a small French label may be on the French iTunes store, and not on the Spanish one due to licensing.

This happened to me a few years ago. An Australian band I like had released a new (at the time) album, but it wasn't on the American iTunes store. It is now, but at the time I had to order it from Amazon, where the album was presumably shipped from Australia.

As such, if you're in Spain and want to buy a song from France's iTunes Store, you can't—the store blocks you from making the purchase because you aren't in France.

Missing from the article...why would someone in Spain want to make a purchase from France's iTunes store? I can't say, as a US resident, that I've ever been inclined to purchase something from Amazon.ca (assuming it's actually different).

The biggest reason to buy from a different store is that they have different content. This applies to books and well as music and video. Publishers have specific editions written for Britain that are different from the US and maybe the Canadian editions. Some music distributors can only sell in certain countries so if a distributor in the second country does not exist then someone in the second country cannot buy it. Sometimes there are also price differences but I think this is a lessor factor.

I know at least three others before me have said this - but it just pisses me off. I try to do the right thing and pay for digital content. I want to support my favorite artists. But then I can't buy it because it's not available in the USA Amazon.com. So I have to turn to the more illicit methods. Why don't you want my money?!?!

I must also take issue with the "unlike in the US" line in the article: the US is one country. Anyone who lives in Canada and tries to use virtually any form of digital distribution is in the exact same situation. In fact, I would even argue it is worse here, since Canada and the US are culturally so similar

I know at least three others before me have said this - but it just pisses me off. I try to do the right thing and pay for digital content. I want to support my favorite artists. But then I can't buy it because it's not available in the USA Amazon.com. So I have to turn to the more illicit methods. Why don't you want my money?!?!

If you are paying in the local currency, the distributors are still getting the license fee. Sometimes they would even refuse to ship something abroad! I mean, they are getting paid, licenses and all, so what's the point?

Big Content Group EU has the content.Big Content Group of America doesn't.American wants to buy it from Big Content Group EU, but he can't because licensing agreements haven't been resolved by Big Content Group of A.But Big Content Group EU would get paid, Big Content Group Earth would get paid and artist would get paid.

I've maintained a US iTunes account for years because you can often get a lot of US-made movies, music, and especially TV a good bit earlier than in other territories. Often a bit cheaper too, but that's not the decisive factor for me. Now if I could just get a pan-EU iTunes account for all the British and French stuff I like, that would be gangbusters. Or better yet, unify the whole freakin' thing globally, because having multiple iTunes accounts for my content is already starting to be a major pain in the ass for me.

I do wish there was a single global music center. I have notice that there have been exclusive songs from Natalie Imbruglia or Caro Emerald, etc. that I living in the U.S. is unable to get due to song restriction. What is the alternative if you can't get new songs from your favorite music artists?

I do wish there was a single global music center. I have notice that there have been exclusive songs from Natalie Imbruglia or Caro Emerald, etc. that I living in the U.S. is unable to get due to song restriction. What is the alternative if you can't get new songs from your favorite music artists?

The alternatives are usenet, bit torrent, irc, ftp, plain old websites, lockers. There are PLENTY of alternatives. Unfortunately, they're not legit in the sense that your favorite artist doesn't get a dime.

I do wish there was a single global music center. I have notice that there have been exclusive songs from Natalie Imbruglia or Caro Emerald, etc. that I living in the U.S. is unable to get due to song restriction. What is the alternative if you can't get new songs from your favorite music artists?

Torrenting.

The absolute funniest I've seen is Canadian artists not available in Canada because their label is American.

"Unlike the US, online music in Europe is typically only sold through one country's stores at a time"

No, that's exactly like the US. Our country is just bigger then your continent.

Well if EU continues down the path it seems set on to "fix" the Euro issues, we may well soon have a United States of Europe...

Seriously the latest i read was that the Brussels technocrats wanted to give the ECB the ability to nix any national budget within the Euro zone, that they thought violated their accepted truth about austerity as a fix.

Makes me wonder, will the banksters manage to do what nobody has done since the Romans?

I can't say, as a US resident, that I've ever been inclined to purchase something from Amazon.ca (assuming it's actually different).

I am saying this as lovingly as possible but you are a ignorant chauvinist. And I do not want this to be understand as an ad hominem attack but simply in the literal translation. A guy who doesn't know. Living in a different country for a while might help.

No you wouldn't want to buy anything from amazon.ca because the amazon.com store is MUCH BETTER. It is cheaper has many more products. If you would live on the other side of the border the situation is totally different. Because Americans live in the biggest homogeneous most competitive market place they have the best online offerings. The EU actually was a great step in the right direction and allows many Europeans for example to buy stuff in Britain if the pound does a dive again. Which is awesome.